Dead Magic
by AchievingKitKat
Summary: Skulduggery Pleasant has been teleported to another dimension in the middle of a magical war. Can the witty detective find his way back home so that he can save the world, or will he have to save both worlds? A fic in which Dark Magic...Meets Dead Magic.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes. **

**This is a Skulduggery and Harry Potter crossover. **

**It is the first crossover that I've ever done, but please forgive me if there's any mistakes or…Whatever else that could be considered wrong, and not in the dirty sense, for all you perverts out there. ;)**

**I don't own either Skulduggery Pleasant or Harry Potter, their rights go to the respective owners, and if anyone disagrees with it, well I can promise you that I know the art of the Red Right Hand and all three Forbidden Curses. **

**So don't try anything. Get it? ^-^**

**Any questions?**

**Then we shall proceed. **

**Please enjoy! **

**AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

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><p><em><strong>Prologue.<strong>_

Valkyrie stared at the spot that he had just vacated with a 'pop' and rush of air, blinking stupidly like a rather retarded sheep. She looked towards Ghastly, Tanith and Fletcher, but they all wore similar expressions on their faces. Fletcher's even more retarded than per usual, which was clearly saying something.

They were stood in the back of Bespoke's Tailors, and their partner, whom had been standing beside them only seconds before in the dimly lit room, had suddenly just disappeared with a sharp crack of air as he had been about to answer a question.

"Ok. Am I missing something here?" Tanith asked slowly, tentatively putting her hand through the spot where he had just been.

"I thought I was special!"

"Impossible. Fletcher, the only 'special' award you would get, is for your extremely ridiculous hair style and being put in a museum of ridiculous hair. Now get over yourself, or go look in a mirror for the next half an hour." Valkyrie said absently, staring into the vacant space.

"But what would you be doing?" Fletcher asked in a rather hurt voice, touching his hair indignantly and making sure it was still in it's usual proud position.

Valkyrie rounded on him, taking her eyes off of empty space to fix the scariest glare she could muster on him. "We're going to find out when Skulduggery learned to teleport, how it was possible, and, most importantly, where he is now. Ok? So sit down, and shut up." She snapped, shock driving the force behind her tone more than anything else.

Fletcher visibly drooped and collapsed in a chair as the silence reigned once again as they all tried to think of what to do.

"…Anyone for coffee before we begin to start planning?" Ghastly asked simply.

_**Yes I do a prologue.**_

_**Deal with it. Chapter one is still RIGHT HERE though. ;)**_

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><p><strong>Dead Magic. <strong>

**Chapter 1.**

Skulduggery looked around in bafflement, his skull gleaming with rain as it pelted down upon him, soaking him through to the bone.

He was stood in open ground, and was in the same position he had been in not seconds before, but in unfamiliar surroundings. For example, there was a castle in the distance, and a huge great winding path not far off which led to it. But all that was on his…consciousness, seeing as he didn't technically have a mind, since there was no brain, was to get somewhere dry and figure out what had happened, and why.

Of course, where he was also happened to figure in to that calculation.

He thought about putting his hat and scarf on, but since he was already soaked, and there was no one around anyway, there was no point. Other than doing so for the sake of, which he didn't believe in. Unless it helped to boost his ego, which was always considered necessary.

Therefore, he put them on quickly, wrapping the scarf securely around his face and proudly donning his hat.

He walked over to a gigantic tree, one with many cracks and gnarled pieces of bark protruding from it, and as it kept him nicely out of the rain, he started to think aloud to himself.

"Well. I could still be in Ireland…as it is still raining. Of course, there's the problem of how I got here. I can't teleport, unlike Fletcher, and he wasn't holding on to me, and I would have seen him leave me…hmm." He said absently to himself, lost in confused thought.

In this time, he failed to notice the canopy of leaves withdraw their rain protection from him, allowing the raindrops to fall on him once more. It was only when he heard a colossal creaking from above him, that he finally looked up in surprise, raising his eye-less sockets to the peculiar sight above through his already donned sunglasses.

"What the-" He started to question, but he didn't have time to finish, as a mass of branches rained down upon him, driving like needles of twigs and clubs of wood towards him, forcing him to dive away and roll up, mud caking his coat all the way down.

Skulduggery was not impressed.

Or rather, he wouldn't have been, as he was trying to avoid another attack from the dangerous barrages of branches that were crashing down on him as much as they could, swiping their limbs at him mercilessly.

When he checked his gun, he found he had no bullets, and the cartridges were on the inside of his loose shirt, concealed in a small inside pocket to protect them. He sighed and clicked his fingers instead, summoning a flame.

"Sorry tree, but you don't mess with this skeleton." He said regretfully, hurling the fireball at the tree.

Immediately it caught flame, and the giant tree moaned pitifully and thrashed around wildly as it tried to escape the flames clutches, throwing itself into a death trance.

"Aguamenti!" A male voice called out from behind him. Startled, he turned to see a man with shoulder length black hair and black robes striding towards him, holding a stick out in front of him as a torrent of water poured forth from it and doused the fire on the tree with a dying hiss, leaving the tree to moan pitifully.

"Ah. Thank you. I would have done that myself, but-" Skulduggery started, but the other man swiftly cut him off, as if he was used to doing so on many an occasion.

"Why did you set the Whomping Willow alight? Do you know how long this tree has been on school grounds?" He demanded scornfully.

"I-uh…No…But-Wait. This is a school?" Skulduggery asked in surprise. It was the other man's turn to look surprised, although if he was, he showed it slightly by mockingly raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes…This is Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you are trespassing, and violating school grounds…" He said, his voice radiating a underlying dangerous tone.

Skulduggery nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "I suppose I have…Yes…But enough of that, my name is Detective Pleasant, and this here tree attacked me. Witchcraft and Wizardry? You can't teach magic to those who aren't born with it. Oh! And your name by the way?" He asked brightly. The other man stared at him for a second before answering.

"We don't teach magic to muggles…Detective…As you said yourself, one can't do magic if those people aren't born with it. My name is Professor Snape…Its nice…to meet you…Now I think you'd better come with me Detective." He said dryly, holding out his arm to the detective.

Confused, Skulduggery laid his arm on Snape's, being careful so as not to show that he was a skeleton by letting Snape see his bony hand. There was a sharp crack and they vanished into thin air, re-appearing outside a rather large ornate door. Without hesitating, Snape knocked on it.

"Err, excuse my ignorance…but how did we get here?" Skulduggery asked in shock, gazing around him at the brickwork of the inside of the castle.

"We apparated. Surely you know that." Snape said, narrowing his eyes at the detective. Skulduggery, had he had any eyes, would have stared at him in utter perplexity, but seeing as he didn't, he had to stare at him through his completely shaded in sunglasses.

"Mmmm…hm?" Skulduggery hmm'd, deciding to go along with it.

"Come in." A slightly fragile voice said from within the door that Snape had knocked on only seconds before. Frowning down at Skulduggery's coat, he flicked something that had been concealed in his sleeve at the coat, and mud rose off of it like steam and crumbled into nought but dust. The skeleton stared with his sightless eye-sockets, and he allowed himself to be dragged along by the arm of his suit which Snape was holding in an almost death-grip.

"Headmaster. I found an intruder in the grounds, and he set fire to the Whomping Willow." Snape announced.

"Must say, you're quite good at stating the obvious aren't you." Skulduggery commented. Snape glared at him, but he remained silent. Skulduggery looked at his surroundings. He was in a giant stone-based room, that was full of cupboards which were filled with…papers and other odd contraptions. One had what looked like a miniature wash basin, full with water so still and tranquil, that it could have been frozen over like ice. The thing that astonished him most however, were the paintings that were dotted all over the walls, even up the walls that accompanied the steps of where a large desk lay beyond it, a very important chair stood behind it.

Next to the desk was a bird perch, on top of said perch, was indeed a bird. Although it was a bird that Skulduggery had thought was only ever told of in ancient myths that came from places such as Greece…or…wherever. Surely Phoenixes shouldn't exist. But then compared to monsters he had fought in the past, it should hardly have been a surprise.

Then Skulduggery got a good look at the man he had been brought to see. He was basically standing in front of a man who was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both tied into pony-tails. He was wore faded light blue robes that brushed the floor, and his blue eyes were light and serious, but held a sparkling sense of humour deep within them behind half-moon spectacles that were perched on his slightly crooked nose.

"Excuse me for asking, but who might you be?" Skulduggery asked, cocking his head to the left slightly.

"May I ask you the same question?" The man responded.

"You may." Skulduggery said, his voice muffled by the scarf as he nodded once. There was a silence. "…Well…Ask it then." He prompted.

The man blinked once from behind his glasses and cleared his throat. "I am Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and the headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore introduced himself.

Skulduggery nodded thoughtfully. "Ok…well…I am Detective Pleasant…and I am here due…to…an…infestation." He said calmly. Both the professors looked at him oddly.

"An infestation?" Dumbledore asked incredulously.

"Hogwarts does not have an infestation, rats like yourself or otherwise." Snape said curtly. He turned to Dumbledore. "Excuse me Headmaster, I do rather think that I should check him to see if he has had the Cruciatus or some other….dark magic…placed upon him." He suggested, splaying his hands out, but keeping his fingers interlocked.

Skulduggery looked at Snape sharply with a swift turn of his head, nearly making him lose the sunglasses, which he used a gloved skeletal hand to push back up so that they covered his eye sockets once more. "Well that doesn't sound too…nice. So can we skip that bit and just let me investigate? I should say it would take me at least three days at the most, if not two. Then I shall be out of your hair." He glanced at Snape. "I hope you wash your hair. Being black, it looks awfully greasy."

Snape glared at him until Dumbledore raised his hand palm up, looking at them through his spectacles. "Of course. As you wish. However there is the problem of which house dormitory you should stay in. Detective, which house do you wish to stay in, mind you would be put in one of the higher years dormitories." Dumbledore asked him kindly, pointedly ignoring Snape's evil looks that he was getting.

Skulduggery was a little nonplussed at this, as he didn't understand what they were talking about. "Err…Which houses can I choose from?" He asked uncertainly.

"Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor…and Slytherin." Dumbledore informed him. The concealed skeleton mulled over this new information.

"I think Gryffindor sounds quite safe, if I may." Skulduggery decided.

Dumbledore nodded and handed him a piece of faded parchment. "That is completely fine. You may use this map to navigate your way to the Gryffindor common room. Upon entering the common room, if you ask for Hermione Granger, I'm sure she would be more than willing to help you find out anything you need to know. And that map…It belongs to Harry Potter, if you wouldn't mind returning it for me?"

Skulduggery had no idea who these people were that Dumbledore was mentioning, but he kept quiet and nodded often, pretending that he understood as he took the map. He turned and started to make his way out of the door, when Dumbledore called out to him.

"By the way, the password for the Gryffindor common room is Caput Draconis." He added, smiling for the first time since Skulduggery had met him, casting a whole new light upon him that made him seem slightly younger.

"Thank you Professor. I shall inform you when my…investigation is complete." Skulduggery said, pulling his hat down low over his skull as he exited the room.

Snape followed him out, closing the door behind him as he murmured his goodbye to Dumbledore. Then he turned to Skulduggery, looking down at him superiorly as though looking at something particularly nasty.

"I suggest…Detective…that you stay away from the Slytherin house. It is known across the school that Gryffindor and Slytherin are…rivals…as such. And as I am the head of Slytherin house, it would do you good to stay out of my way." He advised with a sadistic smirk.

Skulduggery had had enough of this guy. He went to hit him, but Snape caught his punch with a slight stagger. He had good reflexes, even if he had been caught by surprise. But Skulduggery swiftly took his gloved hand out of Snape's hold and grabbed him by the collar with both of his gloved hands, shoving him up against a wall roughly.

"I do not particularly know you, and nor you I. You are the head of Slytherin house…fine by me, but please, the louder you bark, the weaker you are. You have no idea who I am, what I am capable of, or whether I am a nice person or not. So please, professor. It be best if _you_ stay out of _my_ way. You do your job, and I'll do mine." Skulduggery said threateningly, neither raising or lowering his voice.

Snape grunted slightly as he managed to prise Skulduggery's hands off of him, and he smoothed down his black robes with a scowl. With a sceptical snort, he turned on his heel and marched off down the hallway…looking slightly paler than he had before.

"Oh, by the way. Rats like myself often come back for more when provoked." Skulduggery called after him mockingly. Snape's body stiffened as he walked, but never faltered in his stride.

Skulduggery sighed and took a look at the map that had been already opened for him. He stared…and stared…and stared.

THE MAP MOVED.

Or rather, the things on the map did.

"Ok…uhh…uhh…Oh my god." He muttered. _'What were the names Dumbledore gave me? Urmm…Ah! Hermione Granger…and she is…aha! There we go, the Gryffindor common room.' _He thought to himself.

Looking around him quickly to make sure there was no one around that was looking at him specifically, he started to make his way towards the common room.

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><p>After about five to ten minutes of walking, of which he was even more baffled when the some of the stairs he had been walking on moved when he stepped off of them, he came to a large painting at the top of the next flight of stairs.<p>

"Yeah well Potter, we'll see who's laughing later." A snide voice said from the top of the stairs. A tall blonde haired boy came hurrying down the stairs towards him, and if Skulduggery hadn't moved quickly out of the way, he would have walked right into him.

The boy glared at him over his shoulder as he pushed past. "Watch where you're going, idiot." He said nastily.

Skulduggery was rather taken aback by the kid's attitude, and he drew himself up to his full height to retaliate. He poked his finger into the boy's chest sharply. "Bugger off you little squirt." He said in a menacing growl.

The boy paled and started to walk off again. "My father will hear about this." He muttered.

"WAS THAT A THREAT?" Skulduggery roared at him, whipping round to glare at the boy's back, which was now disappearing at an extremely fast run. Skulduggery grunted in annoyance and set his hat straight.

There was a snigger from the top of the stairs, and he looked up in surprise to see a boy of about the same age as the rude one he had just yelled at, but with dark hair and glasses, and a rather odd scar on his forehead that resembled a lightening bolt.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen him run so fast. Think you could do that to him on a more regular basis for me? Or when I have a camera to hand?" The boy said, grinning at him.

Skulduggery chuckled and made his way up the stairs to join him. "I don't see why not. But I wonder if you can help me. I'm looking for Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, I'm supposed to be staying in the Gryffindor dormitory or something? It was something to do with a common room…or something like that anyway." Skulduggery inquired politely, taking an immediate liking to the boy as he shook his hand formally.

"Then halfway there, and I can solve the other half for you." The boy said, his grin still in place. "See, I'm Harry…and one of my best friends is Hermione."

Skulduggery took the map and folded up, which by the creases in it, must have been done so many times. "Then I believe this belongs to you." He said, handing it to Harry. "Now…uhh…Can we get into this common room place?" He asked jovially.

"Of course! Seeing as your quest is now complete, we best find you a room." Harry said, walking up to a painting with Skulduggery following in his wake, glancing around at all the moving paintings with interest.

"I was on a quest? Silly, quests are for noble people who do noble things like saving damsels in distress-"

A scream sounded from within the common room beyond as Harry spoke the password and entered with Skulduggery behind him.

Harry spoke in an undertone to him quickly. "Speaking of damsels in distress. I think Ron just asked Hermione to do his potions homework again for the fourth time this week."

Skulduggery snorted with amusement, and then got a good look at the scene before him. "Uhm. Can I ask…" He said uncertainly. "Why is she pointing a stick at him?"

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><p><em><strong>Ok, this was chapter one. It was posted today due to much pestering of one of my friends...so this chapter is for him. Enteipoke, you know who you are. -.-'' <strong>_

_**I'll update quicker if I get more reviews, ok? ^_^ So please review, because I have many funny events coming up soon! =D**_

_**Much love,**_

_**Kai**_

_**XxxXxxX**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Dead Magic.  
><strong>**Chapter 2.**

"RONALD. WEASELY". A girl with slightly crazy waves of hair screamed.

A boy was taking cover behind a couch, which was situated in front of a large hearth. This, apparently, was Ronald Weasely, whom happened to be dodging flashes of light. And other objects such as books. Heavy textbooks to be precise.

"WHOA. HERMIONE, PLEASE. WAIT. OW. YOWCH. YIKES. Ow, Merlin s beard, STOP WOMAN." The ginger boy finally yelped, grabbing a hold of both her wrists to stop her projecting any more missiles across the common room.

Hermione glared daggers at him, and it seemed that the ginger kid almost wilted under her stare, but she was a little calmer than previous seconds ago.

That was until she kneed him in the privates. He went down with a scream, clutching said area and rolling around on the floor. "AND THAT IS THE LAST TIME YOU EVER ASK ME TO DO YOUR POTIONS HOMEWORK. GET IT?" She yelled furiously.

Ron nodded somehow and continued to let tears of pain well from the corner of his eyes.

"Yikes Hermione, you probably didn t have to go that far." Harry muttered, feeling sympathetic towards his injured friend.

"Well at least I didn t curse him." The girl huffed.

Harry looked down at his friend and patted the ginger tentatively on the shoulder for comfort. "I think you did in ways that don t require magic, Herm."

Hermione shrugged, help Ron back up and rubbing his back comfortingly as a silent 'I'm sorry, but you deserved it'. Then she noticed the figure standing hesitantly in the doorway. Frowning slightly with evident curiosity, she leaned around Harry to get a better look.

"Who's this?" She asked, nodding to the figure as Harry beckoned him in, closing the portrait properly behind him. The figure didn t wait to be introduced, instead he dipped his hat even lower in a sign of respect.

"My name is Detective Pleasant. I m here about a rat infestation." He said politely, his tone light and cheerful, even though it was muffled through his scarf.

Harry caught the look Hermione threw at him and groaned mentally as he outwardly shrugged indifferently. He didn't believe it either, but Hermione was always just downright inquisitive. He resisted the temptation to roll his eyes, and went to sit on the couch with a sigh.

"Nice to meet you Detective. I'm Hermione, and that s Ron." She said, wiping a strand of hair behind her ear as she returned the formality.

"You mean the groaning boy?" He asked, pointing to Ron who was still on the floor. Hermione nodded with a rather sheepish look on her face.

"A detective? Well I'm a bit of a detective myself really I love to solve things. But I can't say I've seen any rats here. At all. In fact, the house elves see to it because they hate the things, especially in the kitchens, because they're afraid of food contamination." Hermione explained.

The detective cocked his head to the side. "Uhh...House Elves?" He questioned, confusion entering his voice.

Hermione started to explain but then she stopped abruptly. With a look of irritation on her face she started to walk up to him. "Sorry Detective Pleasant-"

"Please, you can call me by my name, Skulduggery." The detective offered politely.

"Of course. But, can I see your face please? I find it hard to talk to someone if I can't see their eyes." Hermione continued, his interruption not deterring her in the slightest.

Hermione went to remove Skulduggery's scarf, but he shied away from her, nearly bumping into the table in the middle of the Gryffindor common room as he did so. She sighed in frustration as she moved towards him again, and Harry and Ron watched from a distance from where they peeked over the top of the couch.

"Sk-Sku-" She tried to say his name, stumbling over it's unusual lettering.

"Skulduggery." Skulduggery supplied for her helpfully, dodging another swipe that she aimed for his scarf.

"Sorry. Skulduggery, what are you hiding? Why can't you take off your scarf, sunglasses or hat? We re inside." She asked him in exasperation.

"I have...a...skin condition." Skulduggery said randomly, plucking the excuse as though out of thin air as he took defence behind one of the large sofa's that was sat in front of the Gryffindor fireplace. At this Ron looked up, quite bored at the guy's antics.

"Mate, it can't be that bad. I'm ginger for Merlin's sake." The Weasely boy spoke up, trying to put the guy at ease. Harry turned to Hermione as if to talk to her but then raised his wand unexpectedly at Skulduggery.

"Accio scarf and hat." Harry said quickly. However, he failed to catch them as they flew towards him, instead joining his two friends as they stared at the figure in front of them.

Skulduggery, having been revealed in his true form...which was of course as a skeleton, cocked his head to the side and put his hands in his pockets. He looked at them through his eye-less sockets and whistled nonchalantly through his teeth.

"Well this is awkward." He stated, the light of the fire reflecting of his bony white skull. Ron pointed at him wordlessly and Skulduggery swivelled his head to look at the ginger haired boy questioningly.

"Y-You're a skeleton." Ron said numbly. If Skulduggery could have rolled his eyes, he would have.

Majorly.

"It's just a flesh wound." Skulduggery joked.

Seeing as it got no reaction, other than a whimper from Ron, he sighed and took off his coat so as to lay it over the back of the sofa neatly.

"Ok. I'm a skeleton. But I've seen GHOSTS walking around your castle. So is this really that much of a surprise?" Skulduggery asked them.

"Well, yes. Actually. Most of the skeleton's in the wizarding world are summoned for evil purposes...and they most certainly cannot talk. As in...at all. I-It's not right." Hermione said, swallowing slightly as she tried to make sense of the whole thing. Skulduggery clicked his fingers, summoning a flame.

"And they DEFINATELY shouldn't be able to do magic...I should suppose." Skulduggery murmured.

The Harry and Hermione shook their heads silently.

"Wicked." Ron said in awe, his eyes riveted on the pulsing flame in the Skeleton s hand.

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><p>Skulduggery was stood in front of the hearth, the fire crackling and popping every once in a while as it warmed the room, giving it a cheery looking glow. The three Gryffindor students had recovered somewhat, and were now questioning him.<p>

"Technically you could be some Inferi." Ron said, looking at Skulduggery suspiciously.

There was a silence. "That would help if I knew what that was. Until then I m going to nod, and pretend that I understand, even though I clearly do not. But please, do carry on." The skeleton said calmly, nodding as he did so.

"Don't mind Ron. He s prone to-"

"Don't cover for me Herm!" Ron protested indignantly, glaring at Hermione somewhat.

Hermione just waved him away. "Well in any case, it doesn't matter." She said, fluffing up her already poofy-like hair. "You said that you were here because of a rat infestation, and that Snape had brought you in to Dumbledore because you set fire to the Whomping Willow."

Skulduggery nodded his affirmation of the statement.

Harry chuckled slightly. "I bet Snape nearly tried to murder you. Snape flipping loves that tree like it's a holy object."

Ron joined in with Harry s laughter. "Harry, remember when we drove Dad's car into it?"

Harry cracked up laughing suddenly as he remembered the incident Ron mentioned. "Yeah, as I remember you screamed like a little girl and ended up breaking your wand. Hahaha!"

"Excuse me When you say wand, do you mean those pieces of twig that sorcerers are supposed to use for magic besides Elemental magic?" Skulduggery interrupted, his head tilted to the left slightly.

They stared at him as if he was a bit stupid. "I don t get it." Hermione said slowly. "You know about magic yet you don t. It's like you re half muggle." Before Skulduggery could ask, she was already explaining. "Oh, a muggle is someone with non-magic abilities."

"Mate, do you know ANY magic at all?" Ron asked, leaning forward from his seat on the Gryffindor couch, his hands clasped as if in prayer.

Skulduggery shook his head. "I don't know any of your kind of magic. I come from Ireland. This is a completely different realm to mine. And please don't start questioning me about it, I just want to get back there." He said, holding his gloved hand up to stop any unasked questions from emerging. "I am an Elemental, meaning that I can...no, not controL...more like, manipulate, the elements. So as in wind, fire-"

"Water and earth." Harry finished for him. Skulduggery nodded.

"Exactly. Wind, fire and water are the only safe ones to use. Earth is used as a last defence if you have literally no other choice. There's also the Adepts. They can have a multitude of opportunities. One of my friends is able to walk on any surface, she can literally defy gravity. Skulduggery explained.

The Gryffindors nodded, trying to wrap their heads around the concept.

"Oh, and then there's Necromancers. They can...well. Lets just say that it involves death and shadows. A very dark magic, as such." Skulduggery added, finding it hard to keep the loathing out of his voice.

Harry looked to the other two who gave no indication of stopping him. "Well...We're almost on the brink of war at the moment against a dark magic. Against someone named Vol-"

"Harry. Don t say it. Please." Ron said shortly. Harry tested the edges of his teeth with his tongue in irritation, but nodded nonetheless.

"He-who-must-not-be-named". Harry said, changing his track slightly. "So we're fighting the dark magic well. Trying to."

There was a silence. "Would there be any way that I could help, per chance?" Skulduggery asked slowly.

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed quickly. "We're going to need all the help we can get. Right boys?" She asked them, narrowing her eyes at them. They gulped visibly and nodded their agreement.

Skulduggery replaced his hat on his head, pulling it low over his eye-sockets as he sighed. "Well, I m supposed to be here for a rat-infestation So this poses a problem." He muttered.

Ron, who had been chewing his lip, spoke up. "Well...You could pretend to I dunno come clean and say that you were actually checking out the grounds and classes because you wanted to become a professor." He suggested, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

His companions looked at him in shock. "Ron that s actually a pretty good idea for once." Hermione said, smiling at him.

He rolled his eyes at her and put his hands behind his head. "Always the tone of surprise." He mumbled, sighing as he did so.

"Hush Ronald. Now then, it seems that I need to go speak with your head of mastery." Skulduggery said, turning and heading back towards the painting.

Ron scowled and made to follow him. "Don't call me that. My name s Ron. And I think you mean Head Master." He muttered, putting his hands in his pockets and slouching after the Skeleton.

Harry and Hermione shared a wry look and started to follow them. Hermione remembered something and started to walk a little more quickly, leaving Harry to catch up to her. "Skulduggery! I should warn you that the portrait will have closed, so be careful you don t wal-"

There was a thump and a curse from up ahead, and Hermione sighed. "Walk into it." She finished lamely.

As the four of them walked out into the corridor, Harry having closed the portrait behind them, much to the Fat Lady s grumblings about being walked into, Hermione took off the Gryffindor scarf that she d been wearing and wrapped it around Skulduggery s face quickly, completing his disguise as he also put on his sunglasses on over his empty eye sockets, hidden under his hat.

"Thank you Hermione." Skulduggery said, his tone warm as he set off.

They stood completely motionless as he walked off. "It's this way." Harry said, coughing slightly.

The footsteps stopped, and there was a shuffling sound as Skulduggery turned on his heel and walked back the other way, passing them and walking off in the other direction.

This time they followed him.

* * *

><p>Skulduggery emerged from Dumbledore s office and found Harry waiting for him. Harry stopped slouching against the wall and stood up eagerly.<p>

"Where are the other two?" Skulduggery asked, looking around for them.

"Hermione needed to go to the library for potions research, so she took Ron along so that he could find the answers for his homework himself." Harry said, shrugging. "I said I'd wait for you. So...? What did he say?"

Skulduggery pulled his hat up slightly and cocked his head to the right a little. "Well I think he likes me. He put me in Gryffindor at least. But I have a question. What is a Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

Harry gaped at him for a second. "Are you telling me that he made you the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" He asked incredulously.

"Mmm. I get the feeling that's good, judging by your expression..."

Harry shook himself free of the fog of astonishment that had momentarily clouded him and nodded. "Yeah Th-That s great! But For being a Dark Arts teacher, you re gonna need a wand." Harry said, biting his lip thoughtfully.

"Can I just borrow yours then or something?" Skulduggery suggested.

Harry winced. He didn t like the thought of lending anyone his wand, not least a complete stranger whom he d only met an hour ago."Unfortunately I'm going to need my wand for class tomorrow. I guess it looks like we're taking a trip down to Diagon Allow and into Olivanders this afternoon to get you one." He said in finality, starting to drag Skulduggery at a quick pace down the stairs, heading towards the Main Gate.

* * *

><p><strong><em>This is chapter two! =D<em>**

**_Thanks for all your reviews so far, they're great inspiration!_**

**_The more reviews I get, the more compelled I am to write. ^^D So the more reviews, the faster the update._**

**_Please review and tell me what you thought, if there were any mistakes. I'll take any advice or criticisms you give me. BUT NO FLAMING._**

**_Otherwise the Shinigami will use his special needle of Death._**

**_Whoever had thought of the idea to enchant that needle with a hallucination to make the victim believe that they were continuously bleeding from wherever it had stabbed them was a certified genius._**

**_Oh, right...that had been the Shinigami himself._**

**_What a smart bastard._**

**_PLEASE REVIEW! =D_**

**_Kaitaru XxxXxxX_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Just want to say, this would be taking place during Book Six - Half Blood Prince. **_

_**So, yeah. Okay? **_

_**The minute you think of giving up, think of the reason you held that made you hold on for so long.**_

_**If I make any mistakes, very much apologies say you. ^_^**_

_**Hope you are enjoying it, and PLEASE REVIEW. =D (5000+ words dont'cha know!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dead Magic. <strong>

**Chapter 3.**

Harry was still shivering slightly when they re-entered the front gate of Hogwarts. Skulduggery looked down at him, seeing as he was much taller than the sixteen-year old. Harry looked up at him in confusion.

"How are you not cold?" He asked, rubbing his arms quickly up and down in an attempt to get warmer.

"Skeleton." Skulduggery reminded him. Harry's lips formed a small 'o' shape as he remembered.

"Does anyone else know you're a Skeleton?" He asked, licking his chapped lips which the cold had bitten at horribly.

Skulduggery nodded. "I couldn't not tell the Headmaster, and he seemed pretty ok with it. He told me that he would inform the rest of the staff, and that it was up to me if I wanted to appear like it. But I think I might hold on to that information for now."

Harry nodded in understanding as they entered the hall, only to find Ron and Hermione getting up from the table to come out, deep in conversation. They saw them and Hermione waved to them, whereas Ron just nodded to them in greeting. When they reached them, Hermione bombarded them with questions before they could even get a word in.

"Hey! We missed you earlier. Where did you go? We couldn't find you anywhere in the castle, and Ron was badgering me about being so hungry that a even a Thestral couldn't satisfy his stomach. So we-"

"Herm, breathe." Ron muttered, nudging her slightly and grinning at Harry as he rolled his eyes in Hermione's direction. Then he narrowed his eyes at something behind Skulduggery. He frowned and pointed. "Hey, is he yours?"

They all turned to look to see a cat with smooth black fur, and pure emerald eyes that seemed to almost sparkle with wisdom and mischief. Clumps of snow sparkled from where they were attached to his fur, which was now quickly melting to form tiny puddles of water on the floor. His small-ish frame quaked slightly.

The dark haired boy frowned too, knitting his brow together so that his scar wrinkled a little. "He was following us all over Hogsmead, but I didn't think to say anything. I thought that perhaps when we left, he would go back or something."

Skulduggery cocked his head to the side, and he bent down slightly, holding his arm out with his bony palm flat out. The cat did a little 'prrup!' of happiness and rose to its hind legs for a second, just so that it could gain enough height to rub its head against his palm, before landing back on all four black paws.

"Well…Students are required to have either a cat, owl, toad or rat…So I don't see why teachers should be an exception…" Ron said slowly.

Skulduggery bent all the way down and picked the cat up gently, cradling him in his arms. "Hmm. Well, it looks like you won't stop following me around even if I do leave you alone. So you might as well." He said, watching as the cat snuggled into his hold. "I think I shall call you…Midori."

"Midori?" Ron asked in confusion. "Weird name for a cat."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It means green in Japanese, so he's obviously referring to the eyes." She informed her rather stupid ginger friend.

Shrugging the weird scene off, Harry gestured to the taller man…or…skeleton, and started to explain for Hermione's earlier question. "We went down into Hogsmead, to Olivander's."

Hermione clapped her hands excitedly and jumped up and down a little on the balls of her toes. "Ohh! You got a wand!" She cried eagerly. "Well come on then! Lets see it! Lets have a look!"

Skulduggery turned to look at Harry. "Is she always like this?" He asked dryly. Harry nodded, looking away as if embarrassed. Nevertheless, Skulduggery complied and brought forth a plain, small black box, placing the cat gently on the floor.

"Open it! Show us, please!" Hermione begged, the suspense almost killing her.

The box was opened, and revealed inside was a lovely intricate wooden wand, and it was one where even Skulduggery had to admit, it was by no means an ordinary stick.

The small ridges that framed the handle were in three small circles and equal distance apart, and then a smooth downward slope before ending in a slight bulb at the end of the handle. Going to the other end of the wand, it was a smooth, lengthy wand that tapered to a smoothly rounded off point at the top. *

"Oh Skul…" Hermione breathed. "It's beautiful…What make is it?" She asked curiously.

"The man told me that it was made of African Blackwood. It's 15 inches long, and with the essence of Wolf Claw." Skulduggery recited what the old man had told him.

Ron nodded appreciatively. "What happened when you tried it?" He asked. Skulduggery coughed in embarrassment as Harry cracked up laughing. "Uh oh." He chuckled in anticipation.

Harry tried to get a hold of himself as he managed to choke out the story. "Hahaha…Skul picked it up, aimed it randomly near the open door, and…haha…a br-breeze picked up and lifted Lavender and Pavarti's skirts…Hahahahaha!" Harry laughed openly now. Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth dropped with a small laugh that was delicately hidden behind her hand.

Skulduggery scowled and hit Harry upside the head. "It wasn't funny." He muttered, replacing the cover on the box.

"Hahaha! Seems your wand has a humour streak in it." Ron guffawed, running a hand through his messy crop of ginger hair. "You know, it's supposed to be that your wand represents you in a round a bout sort of way." He grinned at Skulduggery. "Does this mean you're a pervert?"

Skulduggery hit him upside the head in irritation. "No it does not." He said. "If that's true, then I'm guessing your's is stupidity?" With that he turned on his heel and started to make his way out the hall.

Harry dipped his head low as he tried to conceal his laughter. Ron shot him a dirty look. "Shut up." He muttered, elbowing his friend in the ribs roughly. Hermione rolled her eyes skyward, thanks to the ceiling, and followed them at a slower pace.

A scuffle, accompanied by the ferocious hissing of a cat up ahead made her stop involuntarily and narrow her eyes curiously.

"Hey!...You are not permitted to TOUCH." A familiar voice snapped haughtily.

Hermione's eyes widened and she whipped her wand out of her jumper sleeve as she ran to the entrance, turning to the left as she reached it, and stopping short as she saw Harry and Ron with their wands extended outwards in readiness from where they were stood behind Skulduggery to form a triangle. Midori scampered up to Hermione and hid behind her a little, his fur starting to rise.

"Lay off Malfoy." Hermione said tensely, letting her wand drop, but keeping a firm grip on it.

Malfoy glared at her in disgust as he looked her up and down, his lip curled in distaste. "Mudblood." He spat.

Hermione tensed, and the two boys in front of her stiffened, but Skulduggery's long bony arm shot out and grabbed Malfoy by the side of the neck, forcefully dragging him to him and looking at him through the shaded sunglasses.

"I don't quite understand what you said to her, but I know enough to know that it was a rather distasteful insult. If I were you, back down and walk away, before you get hurt." Skulduggery hissed, tossing Malfoy away from him as though he were garbage that particularly displeased him.

Harry stared open mouthed, yet appreciative in the fact that Malfoy was being served his just desserts. Malfoy stood there and brushed himself down, boiling with rage which showed as his body trembled with anger.

Skulduggery said nothing as he brushed past Malfoy and started to walk off past him.

"STUPIFY." Malfoy yelled.

Harry darted around so that he stood directly behind Skulduggery's back. "PROTEGO!" He yelled back in anger.

"FACE ME YOU COWARD." Malfoy yelled. "YOU…LILY-LIVERED…POXY…TWAT."

They all froze as a silence hung in the air. Skulduggery was motionless, a figure of tranquillity. Slowly, he turned he head around to the left slightly, as though looking at Malfoy out of the corner of his non-existent eye through his shades.

"Skulduggery you can't. You're a professor." Hermione hissed to him.

Ron grinned. "Shut up Hermione. That's the point." He said, a slight laugh to his voice as he saw Harry's mouth moving, seeming to make almost no sound.

Skulduggery drew up to his full height, and even Malfoy had the sense to step back, as did his other Slytherin cronies that had formed a slight ring around him. Hermione eyed Skulduggery worriedly, in this moment she finally managed to identify that she was feeling…fear.

Of Skulduggery? Or was it just that he was intimidating enough to make her feel on edge? She couldn't put her finger on it, but either way, it made the hair on the nape of her neck rise with an almost excited anticipation.

Skulduggery turned to face Malfoy and then leant in Harry's direction. "…You just point, shout the word and shoot…Right?" He murmured quietly.

If it wasn't for the seriousness in Skulduggery's voice, Harry would have laughed. As it was he swallowed, and nodded in confirmation.

Skulduggery raised his wand with lightning quickness and levelled it in Malfoy's direction.

"Stupefy!" Skulduggery yelled, echoing Malfoy's earlier cry.

"Protego!" Malfoy's panicked voice came back with, countering the stupefy to prevent it from hitting him. "Flipendo!" He returned, jabbing his wand in Skulduggery's direction.

Skulduggery was hit full force with the jinx, and he was thrown backwards and hit the floor with a grunt. He stood up, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat. As long as Malfoy didn't look too closely, he perhaps wouldn't see that Skulduggery's glasses had been knocked to the floor. Skulduggery himself discarded the fact and stood up. Harry whispered something to him as he pushed him forwards a little.

"Diffindo." Skulduggery said calmly, pointing at Malfoy with his wand.

Somehow, even as Malfoy rose his wand to block the spell, the wand seemed to know and speeded the spell up so as to hit it's target. Malfoy yelped as the seams of his trousers split and fell to his ankles, exposing his pale grey boxers.

Skulduggery folded his arms over his chest and watched with amusement as Malfoy quickly bent to retrieve his trousers, hoisting them up as quickly as he could with a ferocious blush spread across his usually pale cheeks. He gave the three Gryffindors death glares as they collapsed about in hysterics from where they were stood behind the Skeleton.

Skulduggery coughed slightly, and Malfoy's attention returned to him. He narrowed his eyes at Skulduggery suddenly, and Skulduggery pulled his hat lower to cover his face more.

Malfoy snorted contemptuously. "My father will hear about this." He threatened.

Skulduggery unfolded his arms and raised his wand once more, but Malfoy, upon seeing it, panicked and fled, holding onto his trousers in a desperate attempt to keep them up as he ran. Skulduggery turned back to see Hermione, Ron and Harry grinning at him with laughter sparkling in their eyes.

"That…was wicked." Ron said in awe, his grin growing as he said it.

"I think we can see where that humour streak is coming from now." Harry agreed.

"It's not so much humour, it's just that I have a very sharp sense of wit." Skulduggery corrected him, accepting the glasses that Hermione gave to him. "Ah." He said. "They're broken."

Hermione withdrew her wand again and pointed it at the glasses. "I'm always having to repair Harry's, no wonder I know this spell by heart now." She sighed. "Repairo."

There was a small flash of light and the clinking of glass, and the glasses repaired themselves. Hermione smiled as Skulduggery thanked her, putting them on over his eye sockets.

"Just like magic." Skulduggery joked.

Harry frowned suddenly. "Now that's something else…You only really know those few spells…Do you know any others?" He asked.

Skulduggery thought for a second. "Abracadabra?" He suggested with a small shrug, picking up Midori and stroking him to flatten the fur on the cat's back, running his bony finger down the middle of the cat's spine.

"…Looks like we're going to need to teach you." Harry said.

Hermione looked at them all resolutely. "Well then. The only place we can do that, is the room of requirement." She said with a small smile.

* * *

><p>Skulduggery watched in surprise as Hermione, Harry and Ron all walked towards a wall that groaned and creaked as a large ornate wooden door appeared, iron woven into it decoratively.<p>

"This is the room of requirement." Hermione proclaimed quietly.

"We used this place when we fashioned Dumbledore's army. But hurry up and get in here. We don't want Filch or anyone seeing us." Harry informed him, pushing Skulduggery through the door which Ron had conveniently opened.

"Who's Filch?" Skulduggery asked in confusion.

"The caretaker. Steer clear of him and his cat, ." Ron said, standing near one of the walls. Or rather, mirrors.

On nearly every wall, there were cracked mirrors, and the odd few stained glass windows. Hanging from the ceiling there were pillars that had been half shaved near their tops so that they looked like deformed stalactites.

"What is this place anyway?" Skulduggery muttered.

Hermione glared at him slightly. "I already told you. It's the room of requirement. But it's also known as the 'Come and go room.' The room of requirement only appears when a person has real need of it and is always equipped for the person's needs." She explained.

Skulduggery nodded in acknowledgement.

"Did you get that?" She queried.

"Nope." Skulduggery said happily. "Let's continue."

Hermione exhaled in annoyance and turned to Harry. "Ron and I are going to practise. Call if you need us. Otherwise, he's all yours." She said, grabbing Ron and shoving him in front of her, poking him in the back with her wand until the reached the other side and faced each other.

With a crack that filled the air, Ron barely managed to block the stream of light that had erupted from Hermione's wand as their duel began.

"Hey, Skul? I'm over here." Harry said, waving his hand in front of the Skeleton's face. Skulduggery mentally shook himself and focused on the boy in front of him.

"Oh I'm sorry, did you say something?" Skulduggery asked in an innocent tone. Harry just replied by rolling his eyes.

For the next five to ten minutes, Harry lectured him on how to best hold his wand in accordance to how he felt securely comfortable with it and how his stance was when he stood. Teaching his about duelling stance, and personal stance. If nothing else, Skulduggery's posture when he stood tall was elegant yet intimidating all at once as he kept one hand in his suit pocket and the one with his wand almost lazily outstretched.

Then Harry started to teach him defensive spells.

"Ok, well…One that you already know is Ennervate. It repels…or rather…effectively stops the spell Stupefy. Ok? If I were to try and do that now, try using it to protect yourself." He said, raising his wand at Skulduggery.

Skulduggery nodded and prepared himself. After the first few tries, he managed to get the hang of it, and deduced that it had a lot to do with the timing. So when he finally achieved his success by coming out unharmed by the twelfth try, Harry was somewhat astonished.

"Wow…Uhh…Another one that you can use for general spells is Protego." He said, pressing in another spell.

And so it went on. With spells such as the Intruder Charm, and other such defensive spells.

However, when it came to offensive spells…that was a different matter entirely. Harry found himself yelling defence after defence as Skulduggery quickly sent each offensive spell off in quick succession.

The ones he could remember anyway.

"Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus! Obscuro! Mobilicorpus! Locomotor Mortis! Levicorpus! Incendio-Oh blast. My sleeve's on fire again."

And so on.

Harry had to tell Ron to stop shouting out all those sorts of spells as encouragement. If any thing else was set fire to, it was most likely to cause a problem.

"DON'T FORGET TO USE INCARCEROUS!" Ron yelled out with glee just to defy him.

"Incarcerous!" Skulduggery shouted, pointing his wand at Ron. Ron, for his part, screamed as ropes flew out of the end of Skulduggery's wand and bound Ron's whole body from the shoulders down.

Harry regarded the scene with amusement. "On second thoughts, keep going."

* * *

><p>After a whole four hours of learning spells, charms and other titbits of information, Harry called a halt to the session. The four of them exited the Room of Requirement, and accompanied Skulduggery to his new quarters.<p>

When they reached the door, they said their goodnights, and the boys promptly left.

Hermione however, turned back and touched Skulduggery on the arm lightly before he disappeared. He turned on his heel and cocked his head to the left. "Yes Hermione?"

"There's a few things you'll need to know for tomorrow." She said, handing over at least half a dozen thick textbooks. "You'll probably have all of these in your study anyway, but it's probably a good idea to do a bit of revision first before you actually teach us tomorrow." She informed him.

He glanced at their spines, which all read 'Defence Against the Dark Arts', with different year levels on them.

"Ah. You want me to…read all of these?" He asked hesitantly, warily glancing at the books.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Yes. And they have everything you need to know in there. So start revising."

"…Excellent." Skulduggery murmured, putting a few of the books under his arm and keeping the others securely in his hands. "I shall do my homework tonight, and I shall see you in the morning. First lesson if I'm right, yes?"

"Yes. And from now on there's going to be a bit of a status difference. I call you Professor Pleasant, or just Professor, and you have to call the students by their second names. For example, Miss Granger. And don't forget that you can reward by giving out house points, or punish by taking them away. It's best to do it in tens if you can." Hermione helped with a smile. "If you ever need any help, I'd say find Professor McGonagall. She'll help you. Anyway, night professor."

With that Hermione ran back down the corridor after her two partners in crime.

"…Hm…Night Miss Granger." Skulduggery said, testing it out on his non-existent tongue.

Upon closing the door to his quarters, he found that by walking through the bedroom, he came to an office. Presumably his. And if he walked through the office, he came to a small staircase which overlooked a rather vast classroom. He leant on the stone balcony of the stairs and sighed.

"Ohhh boy." He muttered, heading back into the office and seating himself comfortably behind the desk and spaced out the books in their ordered levels of difficulty. He picked up the first one and read the cover. "Defence Against the Dark Arts for Beginners…Shouldn't be too hard, eh Midori?"

He glanced at the cat, who stared at the cover for a few seconds before sneezing in affirmation. Sighing, Skulduggery turning to the first page resolutely. "Sounds legit." He sighed, starting to read the first book of many in the long night to come, stroking his skeletal fingers down the spine of the black pelted tom cat who was contentedly purring away from where he was curled up in Skulduggery's lap.

* * *

><p>The next day, Ron grinned at Harry who was sat next to him as they took their seats for DADA <em><strong>(AN: Defence Against the Dark Arts abbr for those who don't know. SHAME ON YOU.)**_, but Hermione just smirked knowingly as she took a seat next to Lavender, who was trying not to make her eyes noticeably goo-gooed at Ron.

The rest of the class, a mixture of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and Slytherins also filed in and took their places. Among the Slytherin bunch, Malfoy sauntered in with Crabbe and Goyle and a few others. Crabbe saw that Goyle seated himself next to Malfoy, and irritably shoved a Ravenclaw boy out of the way as he made to sit down in the desk behind, taking the seat himself.

Sean and Thomas had taken a pew behind Harry and Ron, yet diagonally across and behind Malfoy. So when Sean shot a spit ball at Malfoy's head, Malfoy leapt up from his chair and rounded on the Gryffindor kid.

"You wanna take me on? Yeah? Come on then you half-blood." Malfoy snapped, clearly not in the best of moods.

"_Silencio._" A voice said from above them all, in the direction of the stairs, Malfoy found that however much he wanted to shout, something prevented him, and though it made him even angrier, he had the sense to turn around to find the source.

The class followed his example as they all looked up, and it was fair to say that everyone's jaw, including the usual Gryffindor trio, dropped.

Skulduggery was stood at the top of the stairs, conveniently slipping his wand back into the sleeve of his black suit. There was only really one difference about him however.

He wasn't wearing his disguise, and the fact that his skull glistened in the morning light that shone in through the windows, was almost impossible to miss. His sunglasses, scarf, and hat were gone. Even the leather gloves that would have covered his bony fingers were missing.

"Ok…Today we are going to be doing Defensive Spells." Skulduggery said, not bothering to introduce himself as he descended the stairs and stopped behind the desk, flicking through the pages of a textbook at a quick rate. "Get your books out, quills to the ready, and we'll see if we can set this boat floating."

Hermione and Harry simultaneously snorted with laughter, whereas the rest of the class stared blankly at him. Skulduggery looked at their confused faces in amusement.

"You know…? The saying 'What ever floats your boat'?" He tested them. "No? Ok. Never mind." He said, waving a hand at them to dismiss the idea. He glanced in Harry and Hermione's direction who were both having a hard time of trying to keep in their hysterical laughter.

Sean raised his hand.

"Yes. You." Skulduggery said, pointing to him.

"Are you our new Dark Arts teacher?" He questioned.

Skulduggery nodded once. "I am." He confirmed.

"But…You're a skeleton."

"Indeed."

There was a thump from somewhere near the back and everyone turned to look. There was the sound of multiple face palms, and Ron sighed and shook his head.

"Honestly, you think he would have learnt by now." He sniggered to Harry, who just grinned in response before turning to face Skulduggery.

"Uhh…Professor…Neville just fainted."

"Ok, just leave him there for the minute. For now turn to page four hundred and seventeen, and can you please tell me, and yes I know you've probably come across it before and so this is revision, what is a Grindylow?" Skulduggery asked, waving the problem away airily.

A girl with a Hufflepuff robe put her hand in the air nervously. Skulduggery raised his head to acknowledge her and let her answer.

"A Grindylow is a small, horned water demon that lives in the weed beds at the bottom of lakes. It has green teeth, pointy horns and long fingers, which are used to strangle their prey. They are violent and aggressive towards wizards and witches and Muggles, although Merpeople have been known to domesticate them and keep them as pets." She answered.

"Very good, ten points to Hufflepuff." Skulduggery said, awarding the girl for her answer. (_**A/N: Heavensboy. Just to let you know…Hufflepuffs still suck. ^_^ **_)

Ron snorted and leant towards Harry so as to whisper in his ear. "Yeah, but why on earth you'd want to keep one of those things as pets. Hah, you'd need to think that Sirius had found a replacement for Kreacher or something."

Harry grinned and sniggered slightly in response.

"Langlock." Skulduggery said, raising his wand to point at Ron.

Ron yelped as he found he could not remove his tongue from the roof of his mouth, however much he desperately tried. Harry grabbed a hold of him and managed to poke his wand directly at Ron's mouth, successfully releasing the charm.

Ron breathed excessively in relief and stared in horror at Skulduggery. "What was that for?" He asked indignantly.

"No talking in my class. You will speak when spoken to." Skulduggery said sternly. Then his toned lightened humorously. "Of course, you just learnt not to let your tongue run away with you. I can actually make it run away if you want, but be careful what you wish for Mr Weasely."

Hermione and Harry had to look away with suppressed laughter as Ron pursed his lips and wrinkled his nose slightly as he glared at Skulduggery. "Yeah, yeah. Shut up." Ron muttered, nudging Harry to shut him up.

Then lesson progressed fairly smoothly, with Skulduggery referring to the book time and time again, and about halfway through the lesson, Neville managed to wake up, thoroughly embarrassed with himself.

"I thought I'd gotten over that by now, I swear." He mumbled, getting sympathetic grins from his housemates.

As the lesson began to draw to a close, Hermione looked around the faces of the class, and her gaze happened to stop on that of Draco's, who was glaring intently at Skulduggery in utter hatred. She noticed his hand dip into his sleeve and slowly reappear with his wand in his hand, a murderous look now crossing his face. He raised his wand slightly, and Hermione panicked, her hand swiftly straying to her own wand.

Hermione raised her wand simultaneously with Draco, an intense look of disgust on her face. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted, waving her wand in the blonde boy's direction. This immediately drew the attention of the class, and they stared as Malfoy's wand flew upwards out of his hand, only to hit him directly in the face.

With a shout of pain, Draco clutched his face and cradled his wand to his chest. He then panicked and frantically turned to Goyle who was sat beside him. Draco's eyes were wide, and he kept pressing three fingers just underneath his nose and then looking at them, and he did so repeatedly.

"Hey…Goyle." Draco said, grabbing the attention of his 'friend'. "Am…Am I bleeding?" He asked warily, breathing in delicately through his nose. Goyle got up close to his master and all but looked up his nostrils, sniffing himself a little.

There was a pause.

"No." He stated gruffly, returning to his former statue-like position.

"…Oh." Draco said, somewhat disappointed. "I…I could have sworn…Oh…No…No, maybe…Maybe not." He said in acceptance, ignoring the stares of the class.

Then he stood up and swiftly made his way to the exit door, his robes flying out behind him slightly as he went, with Crabbe and Goyle hot on his heels as they followed like his faithful puppies. He narrowed his eyes at Hermione.

"Filthy Mudblood." He hissed quickly before departing.

There was an awkward silence, and Ron sat and fumed beside Harry as he contemplated running up to Malfoy and punching his pale face until it really did bleed.

"Class is dismissed." Skulduggery said cheerfully.

There was a scattering of chairs as students hurried to get out.

* * *

><p><em><strong>On a scale of 1 to Voldemort, how awkward are your hugs? <strong>_

_**Tell me in a review! =D**_

_**And sorry that it was a horrible ending, but warning; For the next chapter, think your HAPPIEST thoughts. **_

_**Hint hint. ;)**_

_*** Here is a picture of Skulduggery's wand. I was browsing though, and that one just seemed to…fit. Write a review and tell me if you agree! =D**_

_**Here's the link; http(colon)/www(dot)alivans(dot)com/custom/cart/edit(dot)asp?p=97525**_

_**Kaitaru  
>XxxXxxX<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

**Dead Magic.  
>Chapter 4.<strong>

_**Wow, I haven't updated in ages. I blame the exams and introduction to the IB.  
><strong>_

_**And the fact that I saw The Hobbit yesterday, and so I was fangirl'ing like crazy about Martin Freeman (Who made a Sherlock reference! WOO!) and the awesomeness of the film in general...**_

_**Thanks to everyone who has recently reviewed! It got my ass into gear and persuaded me to start writing this fic again! xD I'll try to write and update when I can, but I'm sorry if it's not as often as I would like. _**_

_**Anyway, you don't wanna hear about that, so on with chapter four, and sorry for the delay!**_

_**Revelio Chapter 4!**_

* * *

><p>There was a soft 'pop' as Valkyrie and Fletcher arrived just outside a familiar building. "Wait here." Valkyrie muttered to him as she pulled her coat tighter to her against the chilly morning air. It was five o'clock in the morning, so early that no one was up and about, and the morning mist had yet to evaporate. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the snow that was coating the ground.<p>

"Val, I don't like it. I don't like _her_." Fletcher protested, a mixture of nerves and annoyance written all over his face.

Valkyrie turned to him. "I know. But I have to. That book is the only chance we've got of finding Skulduggery." She reasoned. Fletcher searched her face for a few moments before nodding, sighing and hanging his head as he crossed his arms and turned away as though to keep lookout.

Meanwhile, Valkyrie's black boots crunched over the snow as she headed into the building that she had visited so many times with either Tanith or Skulduggery. It was in fact where she had first met Tanith, as well as the person she was about to see in order to take out whatever book that she found could be useful for their still on-going research.

As she walked down the many aisles of shelved books, her eyes scanned over the book titles and their authors, not seeming to take an interest in any of them, and becoming more and more frustrated as time dragged on.

Until her eyes finally alighted on a very, very old book that had been shoved to the back, carefully by the looks of it. Which was something the owner of the books had done on purpose it seemed. It was a leather bound book, but it also had small streaks of blood which were barely traceable to the untrained eye.

Upon opening it carefully, the pages were old and yellowed slightly with time, signifying how old it was. Valkyrie's eyes scanned the words, flipping it page by page as she searched for the important words that she was looking for, scan reading it as quickly as she could. Suddenly she held the book close to her face as she studied the words closely.

Seconds later she closed the book.

Valkyrie nodded to herself and took a deep breath before she headed over to the end of the aisle that she had been in. When she reached the end, she turned left to go and find a small room. However, she came face to face with a woman whose shoulderlength black hair framed her incredibly stunning face.

"Valkyrie Cain, my dear, how nice to see you." The woman greeted, smiling. Her smile seemed to light up the whole room, illuminating her face so that her beauty was akin to that of a godess's.

"Sorrows-I mean, China- I...Let me start again." Valkyrie's cry of surprise trailed off. "China Sorrows. It's lovely to see you too. Uhm, how are you?"

"Don't try to make small talk darling. It really doesn't suit you." China laughed shortly. "But in answer to your question, I am fine, thank you. I see you have one of my books there."

Valkyrie glanced down at the weathered old book in her hands and remembered why she had come here in the first place, trying to shake off China's magic of manipulating her beauty. "Oh. Yes, I do. I wondered if I could borrow it for tonight and then return it tomorrow?"

"It's a very curious book to be reading you know." China frowned, tracing a delicate finger almost gingerly down the leather spine of the book. "What need have you of it?"

"Uhh...Light reading?" Valkyrie suggested unconvincingly.

China stared at her, her face emotionless before giving her delicate shoulders a slight shrug. "Well, whatever your reasons, I hope you find what you're looking for." She said politely, smiling at her as Valkyrie nervously smiled back and gave a slight wave before she all but ran back out to where Fletcher was still waiting, shivering a little with cold.

Upon seeing her, he raced up to her and grabbed her hand, teleporting them so that they were stood directly in front of Ghastly's warming oven. "That," Fletcher sighed in relief, "is so much warmer."

Ghastly walked into the kitchen at that moment and washed his hands quickly before wiping his wet hands on a towel."Did you get it?" He questioned.

Valkyrie held the book up as proof. "Yeah, I got it," she nodded, "and I think I know what's going on too."

"Oh, do explain Valkyrie dear." Tanith's voice said from above them, making Fletcher scream like a girl and jump backwards so that he collided with the table and fell over it, whereas Valkyrie merely jumped with a small gasp of shock.

Glancing upwards, she saw Tanith comfortably sitting cross-legged on the ceiling. "Well, I might be able to do it better if you were down here, Tanith." Valkyrie grinned as she watched her drop to the floor gracefully.

Valkyrie reopened the book and flipped the pages between her fingers until she found the page that she had been looking at earlier. "Well according to this, there are more realms than just the one that the Faceless ones originated from. Which is why they kept moving."

Ghastly frowned and folded his arms over his chest as he leant against the worktop. "Ok, but how did Skulduggery end up in a different realm? If I remember correctly, to get to another realm, you need a Grotesquery and a teleporter. And Fletcher was nowhere near him at the time."

Fletcher raised his eyebrows. "I should bloody well hope not. The guy's a skeleton and he's as creepy as hell." He muttered.

Ghastly glared at him until he looked away sheepishly with a mumbled 'sorry'. "What I meant, is that there is technically no way for Skulduggery to have-"

"Yeah, I know. But we brought Skulduggery back when there was a piece of him still left in this world, right? But that's not the only explanation to how he could have been dragged there. The guy that wrote this book, he also wrote this." Valkyrie interupted him, glancing down at the book in her hands.

"_After five years of searching in the realm where the magic was deeper, more intricate and everything beyond our own power, I have found out how I was brought here. A horcrux, they called it, a magic spell so dark that only the wicked have use for it, and for only the purpose to do evil. As I understand it, it is where a piece of someone's soul is taken and put into something, usually something inanimate. However, there are the exceptions. There is one of two ways that I could have been sucked here into this realm. Either the spell used to make the horcrux went wrong, and included my name by accident which in turn summoned me to this realm, or else the spell was done correctly and I have been made into a horcrux, of which I am almost certain. Unfortunately, there is the possibility of both, but I cannot be sure of this. He-who-must-not-be-named is still at large, and it is not safe to assume anything anymore._"

There was a brief silence.

"A horcrux? Souls? Who is this '_he-who-must-not-be-named'_?" Tanith asked incredulously. "This guy must be crazy. There is no such power! Necromancy deals with life and death, and sure we have the three names, but taking out someone's soul is just impossible. Hell, Skul didn't even HAVE a s-"

"He has a consciousness." Ghastly said quietly. "That would have been enough. For him, it is akin to his soul."

Tanith bit her lip. "So...What do we do? How do we find the realm? How do we know which one he's even _in_?"

"We have a rough guide...The guy travelled to loads of different realms once he found out how to do it, and he recorded how to know which one was which by how they diasappear." Valkyrie offered the book to Ghastly, having already turned to the last few pages.

He scanned the page, muttering the names under his breath as he did so. "Naruto-Verse, produces an orange flash. Hunger Games-Verse spits fire. One Piece-Verse you get wrapped up in a skull and crossbones flag. Sherlock-Verse a blue scarf wraps around your neck. Supernatural-Verse a devil's trap symbol appears on the ground around you. Doctor Who-Verse you get enveloped by a blue police box. Avengers-Verse you're sucked into something called a Tesseract. Bleach-Verse-"

"I thought bleach was some kind of cleaner?" Fletcher snorted, once again, he shut up at Ghastly's glare.

"Bleach-Verse you get knocked out by a stuffed toy lion. Narnia-Verse you disappear in a huge snow storm." Ghastly continued.

Tanith suddenly jabbed her index finger to one line in particular. "Hey! That one looks familiar!" She cried excitedly. "You disappear in a flash of gold light shaped like a ball with wings!"

"Potter-Verse." Ghastly murmured aloud.

Valkyrie turned to Fletcher suddenly. "Fletch, you remember how you opened the portal last time?"

He pretended to think for a minute. "Oh, you mean when I was forced to and was rather brutally tortured if I tried to protest or get away? Sure I do."

She grimaced slightly before carrying on. "Think you can remember the symbols that were used to open the thing? We're gonna need to get to this place if we want to find Skulduggery, and we're sure as hell not leaving him inside _another _realm where he could be in danger."

"Hey, I was stuck inside that thing for hours. I had time to study that thing and how it was opened and closed. Ok?" Fletcher stated with a proud grin. "But we're gonna need something that connects to him."

Tanith turned to Ghastly. "Hey, that skull on your mantelpiece. That's his isn't it? I swear he came in about a month back and asked you to look after it whilst he used the one that he'd won in a poker game."

"Why would he do that?" Valkyrie asked in confusion. It was the first she'd heard of it.

"He was worried that the guy that you were both tracking was after his head. Literally. For purposes similar to what we're doing now I suspect. But more on the evil scale." Ghastly answered.

"I hate the evil scale." Valkyrie scowled with a pout. "Anyway, we need that skull."

Fletcher clapped his hands and rubbed them together in the silence that followed Valkyrie's statement. "So, when do you wanna get started?"

* * *

><p>That evening, Skulduggery was sat behind his desk in the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, which was now essentially<em> his <em>office. Which he liked. He had never really had an office before. Normally there was just his barely used house, his always used car, and him. Which was all he really needed.

The books that Hermione had given him were large and full of a lot of useful information, but there was one problem. He'd already read them. Instead, he needed something else to research. Such as more offensive spells that he would be able to use when needed. He had mastered the basics, and now he wanted to get his bony fingers into the pages of the real stuff. _**  
><strong>_  
>It was this that drove him to make his way down into the library to find more books.<p>

From what Harry and Ron had told him (since he had found out from them that Hermione was a bit of a goody two-shoes and would do absolutely nothing against the rules if she could avoid it), the place to go was to the Restricted Section, which luckily for him was available only to teachers, or students who had a note from a teacher.

Upon walking into the library which was on the fourth floor of the enormous castle, he walked straight to the back to where he could see the rope that separated the books in the Restricted Section from the rest of the library. Skulduggery was about to remove the rope so as to let himself in, when a high-pitched cough sounded out from behind him to catch his attention.

Turning, he watched as Madam Pince, the librarian stared at him through her glasses which were attatched to a black beaded string around her neck.

"You wanted my attention ma'am?" He asked politely, lowering the upper half of his skeletal frame into an impresively perfect bow from the waist, removing his hat as he did so before straightening up and returning it to the top of his skull.

Pursing her lips in a tight smile, she cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you. I was wondering as to what you are doing? Only professors are allowed in the Restricted Section I'm afraid."

Tilting his head to the left in amusement, he chuckled. "Well then in that case, it's a good thing I am a professor, is it not? I believe I have yet to introduce myself. Professor Skulduggery Pleasant, my beautiful lady, professor of the Defence Against the Dark Arts." He said charmingly, taking her hand and pressing his bony skull (where his mouth would have been) to her hand so that she giggled slightly like an immature schoolgirl.

"Nice to meet you Professor Pleasant. I am Madam Pince, the Head Librarian." She replied, touching her hair into place to make sure that the bun on top of her head was still nice and tight.

"Ah!" Skulduggery exclaimed. "Our books are well protected then, with someone as trustworthy as you here to keep them in order. No late returns allowed I expect!"

"I see you are a man who understands the rules Mr Pleasant." Madam Pince smiled, her lips stretching out thinly as she did so.

"Understands, and swears by." He agreed. "But now I'm afraid I must leave you, as I have important work to attend to involving these books. I hope I have the pleasure of meeting you again soon."

"I hope so too. If you need any help, do not hesitate to call me. I would be glad to help such a gentleman as you, my friend." Madam Pince answered warmly.

Tipping his hat to her gratefully, he turned and undid the rope, allowing himself into the Restricted Section to the fading sound of her high-heels. "You see that Valkyrie? It's all in the charm-Oh. Right." He remembered, clearing his throat and pretending that nothing had happened.

There's weren't _thousands _of books in the Restricted Section, unlike the few hundred thousand in the normal section of the library. However, the thin and spidery or large and bold titles all stood out interestingly, inviting Skulduggery to read them.

So it didn't take him very long to grab the first ten and take them back up to his office to begin reading. Among the first few that he had grabbed were large black leatherbound books, some with pages yellowed and worn with age, but luckily with the ink still readable. A few of the books he had to use a rather powerful revealing charm to be able to read, seeing as someone had enchanted the ink.

It was here that he began to revise the spells he was most likely to ever need, and some he learnt anyway.

In case of emergencies.

* * *

><p>In the gathering dark of the evening, Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley were practicing in the Quidditch pitch, Neville using his wand to shoot lots of random Quaffle sized balls in every direction so that Ginny was forced into steep dives or vertical ascensions to retrieve them and swiftly put them through the hoop before she flew off to capture the next one. In her red Gryffindor Quidditch uniform that streamed out behind her, she was hard to miss, even in the dark.<p>

Grinning from where he was sat on his broom, Neville launched the last ball into the air, preparing to shoot it the farthest yet. But a horde of slowly moving black on the horizon stopped him, allowing the ball to merely fall to earth. "No..." He whispered.

Frowning in confusion, Ginny zipped up to meet him on her broom, wiping the hair out of her face to be able to see the pale one of Neville's that had barely noticed her draw up alongside him. "Neville! That last one was good, because I didn't even see it before it hit the earth. You should do more like that next time, but you look a bit-Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Ginny...I think we need to get McGonagall." He said in the quiet night air.

"What? What for?" She asked.

Raising his arm, he pointed. Following his direction, Ginny glanced out into the darkness, squinting slightly in an attempt to see better. Her eyes then widened, as did Neville's as a large flash of gold erupted a little way away from the pitch. "What in Merlin's beard...?" She muttered. It was then that Ginny caught sight of the black mass that was slowly moving in their direction and towards the ground, having obviously seen the flash too.

The sound of fighting soon became apparent as a stream of what looked like black shadows ripped through one of the dementors cloaks, making the whole horde of them screech angrily and dive at their prey.

"Dementors...B-But there's so many..." She breathed. "We need to move." She stated, making Neville nod frantically.

Together, they turned their brooms towards the castle and high-tailed it towards McGonagall's office window, having judged that she was inside due to the faint light that was coming from it.

* * *

><p>Back in the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, Skulduggery was interrupted halfway through his seventh book by Harry bursting in and hurriedly closing the door behind him as quietly as he could.<p>

"Harry, what on earth are you-"

"Professor! Quick. Just, talk to me about homework, or something important, please-" Harry started, just as the door opened and Professor Snape swanned in with his black robes streaming out behind him like the scene from the titanic.

"Mr. Potter. Walk with me to my office. I-"

Skulduggery coughed rather rudely. "Professor. I am talking." He said bluntly.

Harry's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and through his glasses as a huge grin crept over his face, which he quickly had to hide by looking down at the book that Skulduggery had been pouring over, which was all to do with high-level hexes.

"Apologies." Snape replied in an extremely slow, sarcastic monotone. "I shall come back within ten minutes to retrieve Potter. So whatever you're explaining, explain it...quick-ly."

"Sorry sir, it's just that when you say that the wand has to agree with the spell, I don't quite get why it does that with this, but not with others." Harry spoke up finally, making Snape turn on his heel and march out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Both student and professor waited until they heard Snape's footsteps echo down the corridor, upon which Skulduggery turned his skull until it was facing Harry, who swallowed nervously as the tension between the two of them settled. "Well?" Skulduggery questioned. "Would you like to explain what that was all about?"

"With all due respect sir, why are you learning _those_...really dangerous hexes?" Harry responded, pointing to the book.

"Ah. I needed to learn some more offensive spells. But curiously, what I find more intriguing is the fact that you avoided my question, instead asking me a question in return. So don't put it off. Answer me. What was that all about?" The skeleton asked firmly.

Harry re-adjusted his glasses, a sign that Skulduggery immediately picked up on. "Malfoy's being insufferable because Ron and I may have beaten him up a little for calling Hermione a mudblood, but that really doesn't matter at the moment, because I think your-"

At that moment the door swung open to reveal Snape standing there once more, who strode in purposefully. Skulduggery and Harry both turned to stare at him. "Professor Snape, surely that was _not _ten minutes." Skulduggery said, trying not to sound annoyed.

"There is a more urgent matter at hand. Three people were brought in after having been attacked by dementors by Professor McGonagall, who arrived just in time. They claim to know you." Snape stated, sounding very triumphant.

"Oh really?" Skulduggery asked in surprise. "Who is it?"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "It seems that where you come from, they give out the most, _ridiculous _names that they can find. It is apparently your daughter and her two cousins."

"My daughter?" Skulduggery muttered.

"Yes. I was wondering the same thing. Surely skeletons aren't able to reproduce." Snape added dryly.

There was only one possible explanation for it, but whereas one part of him was overjoyed, another part was worried. "Don't you dare speak ill of my family, Severus. Where are they? Take me to them. Harry, with me." Skulduggery ordered as he stood, slipping his African Blackwood wand into the small hold that he had built into the sleeve of his suit.

Midori looked up with a little 'prrowp' of interest as he did so, but instead of trotting after them, he hopped up onto the chair that Skulduggery had vacated and leaped onto the desk. Under the light of the lamp, he splayed himself out along the open book and lounged comfortably in the warm light with a content purr.

Whereas Harry followed Skulduggery and Snape's quick march out of the office and down the corridor, also managing to keep up with the fast ascent up the ever changing stairs that lined the walls and moved unexpectedly. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but Skulduggery now seemed very on edge, and Harry couldn't figure out why.

They made their way into Professor Dumbledore's office not minutes later, and the two professors swept into the room with Harry close behind, keeping to the side of the room so that he could get a better overall view as Snape went to join McGonagall and Dumbledore.

Skulduggery stopped dead in his tracks after having taken no more than ten steps into the headmaster's office. Stood in front of him were three people hadn't expected to see in this realm.

"Valkyrie?" He questioned incredulously.

The girl's long black hair flew out behind her as she raced towards him and flung herself on him in a huge hug, clasping herself to him almost desperately, like a limpet to a rock despite a couple of cuts all over her body. Skulduggery's bones went rigid, which luckily went unnoticed to everyone but Valkyrie, who was still hugging him tightly. "Why are you here?" He asked quietly.

"You disappeared. We were as worried as hell." Valkyrie whispered back. "We had to find you and make sure you were ok."

"I know." He replied. Skulduggery suddenly remembered that everyone around them was watching them closely, and he cleared his throat as he took Valkyrie by the ear, reasonably gently. "Do you have _any _idea how much trouble you're in young lady?" He asked sternly.

At first, Valkyrie was unsure of what to make of the unexpected moodswing, having momentarily forgotten her cover story. Then she realised and started to play along. "Ow! Dad! Let go! I'm sorry!" She cried, her hands scrabbling at his bony fingers which now had a tight hold of her ear, meaning that it wasn't all pretend. In the background, Tanith tried not to giggle hysterically whilst Fletcher stared at the two of them, utterly confused as to what was going on between his girlfriend and the detective.

"You bet you will be Valkyrie Ca-Pleasant. I've a good mind to send you straight home!" Skulduggery reprimanded.

"We just wanted to see your new workplace! Oh please let us stay for a little while! Pleeeaaasssee?" Valkyrie begged, slightly annoyed that he wouldn't let go of her ear yet.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance here." Dumbledore spoke up, pausing Valkyrie in her pleading. "If they are not in other education-"

"Oh no, they are home-schooled in our kind of wandless magic. Adept and Elemental magic, the three of them." Skulduggery confirmed.

"_Ow!_" Valkyrie yelped as he twisted her ear one final time before letting her go, glaring at him.

Dumbledore nodded, as if he had known this all along. "Then we could enroll them here at Hogwarts and have them stay in their houses." He suggested. "Not to mention that it would be a lot easier to keep an eye on the three of them."

"Yes...Yes I suppose it would." The Detective agreed.

"Minerva," Dumbledoor called out to his fellow professor, "fetch the sorting hat for me would you?" McGonagall nodded and swept across the room, taking the hat from its perch high up on the top shelf of one of the main book shelves, where it had been watching the events unfold silently. "Thank you." He winked. "Now, who out of you three is first?" He asked, turning to the three new arrivals.

Tanith glanced at her two friends and shrugged. "I guess that'll be me."

She walked over and stood two steps below him, which allowed him enough room to be able to place the sorting hat on top of her blonde-haired head. Immediately the hat came to life, causing both Val and Fletcher to jump in shock, Tanith most of all when she felt it start to wriggle a little and mess up her hair. "Hmmm...This one is easy, very easy. All that courage, the determination, and the kind heart. GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry grinned as Dumbledore removed the hat from Tanith's head. Tanith looked over at Harry and smiled back. "From the look on your face mister, I'm in the right house." She winked.

"You bet." He returned jovially.

Valkyrie sprang up next, eager to find out what house she was in. "Hmmm...Difficult. There is a lot of potential here, and fiery determination too. Secrecy is also at play, I sense, and a little bit of cunning. But bravery is also there alongside a strong heart and a quick wit. What to do with you?"

"Well...You're the talking hat." Valkyrie muttered.

"I'd say, SLYTHERIN!" The hat all but yelled, scaring Valkyrie out from underneath it as Dumbledore retrieved it once more.

Snape smirked at Skulduggery from across the room as Fletcher passed unnoticed inbetween them as he made his way over to old, torn hat. If the skeleton had had eyebrows, rest assured he would have raised one of them at his fellow professor.

"HUFFLEPUFF." The hat suddenly screamed, even before it had been properly lowered onto Fletcher's head.

Fletcher ran a hand through his hair to make sure that it was still perfect, somewhat glad that the hat hadn't touched it. "Uhm...What the hell is a Hufflepuff?" He asked in confusion.

* * *

><p>As they were walking back towards the Great Hall for dinner, Valkyrie punched Skulduggery on his bony arm. "You didn't have to hold my ear <em>quite <em>as hard you know." She grumbled, massaging it a little more.

Skulduggery tilted his skull to look down at her. "Oh yes I did. I don't often get to do it, even when I ought to. Perhaps I should do it more often." He mused.

"No, no!" Valkyrie hastily back-pedalled. "It's quite ok. I can behave."

"Well that's good to hear." Skulduggery chuckled. "You don't normally when we're on a case. You're just incredibly annoying."

"I'm not annoying."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"He's right Val, you are." Tanith joined in from behind them.

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "Oh thanks Tanith. I can see the love." She sighed sarcastically.

"Happy to help." Tanith grinned in amusement. "Woah...This is one huge ass hall."

Plates were laid out, and huge great platters of different meats, assortments of salads, multitudes of pastas and suchlike were spread down the lengths of the four long house tables, the students on each table talking away merrily. "You don't say." Fletcher commented, staring at the ceiling.

Following his gaze, Tanith grinned. "Now that, is a ceiling I want to try and walk on." She remarked.

Turning to Valkyrie, Skulduggery patted her on the shoulder. "Now then, why don't you be a good girl and run along to your new house."

Valkyrie raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you serious? One of the good things about working with you as a detective was that I didn't have to go to school. You aren't seriously thinking of enrolling me at this place." She deadpanned.

"Yes, I am. Look, Tanith is already settling in at the Gryffindor table."

Glancing over, Valkyrie saw that Tanith was indeed getting along well with everyone from where she was sat in-between two red-headed identical twins who were gawping at her as she laughed along with everyone and ate her fill. Upon spying Valkyrie looking at her, she winked.

"If I have to, Fletcher has to." Valkyrie stated stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'd rather go to my table than yours. They look a bit...well. Y'know." Fletcher trailed off.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she took a step forwards. "What are you trying to say about my house?" She questioned threateningly, making Fletcher back away and head over to the Hufflepuff table, sitting next to a boy with raven hair and glasses.

"See? You're already starting a house rivalry. Now off you go. Play nice with the other kids." Skulduggery said, turning on his heel and walking down to the front of the hall to sit on the teachers table. He sighed as he did so. "Ah...My little detective all grown up and ready to go and destroy people."

This left Valkyrie standing awkwardly by herself at the entrance of the Great Hall in her all black attire, and pretty soon people were glancing up at her curiously, trying to figure out as to what house she was in and what she was doing. Sighing in acceptance, she made her way over to the Slytherin table was. She was about to take a seat next to a blonde haired boy, when he turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing over here?" He asked directly.

Unimpressed, Valkyrie resisted the urge to laugh. "Isn't it kind of obvious? I'm the new addition to the Slytherin house."

"Slytherin? Well sit down then. Unless you want to stand there all day." He laughed shortly. Taking his advice, she sat down, trying not to look nervous or amazed when an empty plate magically appeared in front of her. "The name's Draco Malfoy. What's yours?" He asked as she started to fill her plate.

"Valkyrie. Valkyrie Pleasant." She responded, taking a bite into a chicken drumstick.

"Pleasant?" Draco spat. "As in Professor Pleasant?"

"Yeah...He's my dad." She replied slowly. Seeing that there was an obvious hatred, she quickly began to add to her statement. "But he's a bit of an idiot sometimes, and he loves himself a lot. I mean, talk about an ego. I wish I had a different dad."

Immediately, Draco's sneer fell from his face, and a more melancholy one replaced it. "...Yeah. Me too." He said quietly, so that only she was able to hear.

"What, you're an idiot? Or you wish you had a different dad?" Valkyrie asked after having swallowed another piece of chicken.

He gave her a sour look for a second, but it soon melted away. "Both I guess." He muttered. "But I never said that, ok?" He questioned hurriedly, a cold look in his eyes.

"Yeah, sure. You never said that." Valkyrie shrugged. "Anyway, I'm new here, and quite honestly, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. I don't know any of your magic or where I'm going or what the classes are like, so you're gonna help me. Ok?"

Draco looked at her incredulously. "You don't know any magic?" He asked, looking at her like she was talking another language.

"No. I'm going to get my wand tomorrow morning along with all this other stuff that I apparently need, and then I'm coming back during third lesson. And I don't know what Defence Against the Dark Arts is. All I know is that it is taken by Professor Pleasant, so-". At that moment she clicked her fingers, accidentally summoning a flame that nearly singed off a bit of Draco's hair. "Oh my god! I'm sorry!" She yelped, quickly extinguishing it.

"What the hell was that?" A boy asked, his green eyes cold and calculating.

"Freak!" Another Slytherin girl yelled at her from across the table.

"Why is there a freak on our table?" A dark haired girl asked in disgust.

"Leave her alone!" Draco growled at them all, immediately shutting them up with surly looks. "How the hell did you do that?" He asked, turning to her. "Teach me."

Valkyrie gave a short humorless laugh. "Yeah, maybe when I get to know you better Malfoy."

"Look here Pleasant, I don't care who your father is, or who you think you are. You're a new girl here, and you're going to want me on your side if you don't want to get trampled by the rest of them here in Slytherin. Ok? So are you going to teach me how you did that or not?" Draco stated icily, staring her down.

"At the moment, not until you start being a little nicer to me." Valkyrie huffed, finishing her meal and standing up, leaving the table and striding out of the hall with her long black hair whipping out behind her.

As she walked aimlessly down the corridor, she heard running footsteps behind her. Checking over her shoulder, she slowed down as she saw Fletcher running to catch up with her. "Hey, where are you going? You looked pissed off, so I told Andy to meet me back at the common room."

"Who's Andy?" She asked.

"My friend in Hufflepuff...He's pretty cool. He said he's gonna help teach me all I need to know to fit in here." Fletcher explained with a shy grin.

"Nice to see _you're _making friends." She huffed irritably.

"C'mon Val. I'm sure you'll be f-"

"Oi, hair-freak. Get away from her. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you, so move it. Can't you see I'm looking after her?" Draco's voice cut in threateningly.

Fletcher raised his hands in a defensive gesture for a moment before dropping them and turning back towards the hall, walking away from them before he got into a fight. "See you later Val." He called over his shoulder with a slight wave.

"Do you mind not saying stuff like that to my cousin?" Valkyrie asked with a slight hesitation before calling Fletcher her cousin, staring at Draco in an attempt to intimidate him, which didn't really work.

"I can say what I like." He snarled. "But that's beside the point. You wanted my help. You've got it. In exchange for me teaching you...you teach me. Fair?" He demanded, running a hand through his blonde hair.

Nodding, Valkyrie smiled slightly. "Ok. Fine. So...Which way is the Slytherin Common room?"

Returning the slight smile, Draco gestured to the corridor ahead. "S'this way. Keep up."

As they walked, both of them failed to notice a tall, thin, bony figure leaning up against the wall in the space between the wall and one of the statues. Skulduggery stared after them even after they had turned the corner at the end of the corridor. He knew he shouldn't really have to watch over any of them, but...

Something didn't feel right.

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><p><em><strong>And that was chapter 4!<br>Please review! ^_^  
>Kai XxxXxxX<strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

**Dead Magic.**

**Chapter 5.**

**I told you that I would not abandon this fic. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>During the middle of the night, Valkyrie sat up in her four-poster bed with a sigh. Even when she was a little girl, she'd always wanted one. But something was nagging at her mind and keeping her awake.<p>

Pulling back the Slytherin green curtains, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stole away down to the common room. The common room was empty and quiet, the only sound being the soothing hiss and crackle of the fire that blazed welcomingly in the fireplace.

Turning her back to the fireplace, she walked towards the portrait at the end of the room. She paused once to gaze out of the stained-glass window into the Black Lake, the green-ish water eerily drifting past the window. Shaking herself back into reality, Valkyrie climbed the remainder of the stone steps leading up to the portrait and slipped outside. Once in the corridor outside the common room, Valkyrie began padding her way down the winding school corridors.

"I'd have thought there'd be more teachers prowling 'round here at night," Valkyrie muttered to herself, "then again, I suppose they're not vampires."

Having met more than enough vampires during her time with Skulduggery on numerous occasions, Valkyrie had come to a conclusion. They were ugly, not very intelligent, creepy, selfish and all-round bastards.

Suddenly, a noise from up ahead made her freeze in her tracks instinctively. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she dived down the corridor on her left and pressed her back up against the wall.

"Who's there?" A sharp, irritable voice demanded.

After a brief moment, Valkyrie slowly poked her head around the corner. A little further down the corridor she had just exited was a ragged-looking old man, who was holding up a lantern close to his angular, angry face, illuminating it in the dark corridor. By his feet, a fluffy brown and black tortoiseshell cat twitched her ears back and forth, her tail occasionally swaying to and fro as her gleaming eyes seemed to scan the corridor.

Running through a list of teachers' descriptions in her mind, which Malfoy had thought to give her earlier, Valkyrie swiftly came to the conclusion that this must be the school's 'squib caretaker', Argus Filch.

"Is someone there my sweet?" Argus asked, his voice almost a croon as he bent at the waist to gently pet the cat, who pushed her head into his hand at the touch.

Breathing shallowly, Valkyrie backed down the corridor until she could not hear the low tones of the caretaker, which led her down many unfamiliar corridors. A spark of excitement flared up within her as she clicked her fingers in the darkness, illuminating the world around her to reveal sleeping figures in the moving paintings. She stared at them awhile before moving on.

After quite a while, which seemed to Valkyrie like hours, she finally admitted it to herself. She was lost. To make matters worse, she was lost in a giant castle and had no map. Cursing herself under her breath, she headed down the nearest spiral staircase and hoped that she had circled back on herself. She could only pray that she was heading for the Slytherin common room.

Reaching the bottom of the long, dark and winding staircase, she stepped onto the stone cold floor and padded forwards quietly. A wooden door was positioned ahead of her, and she carefully pushed down the handle, being careful not to make too much noise. The door creaked inwards, making her wince and hold her breath, being as silent as possible to see if there was any sound that would give away her detection.

A few moments of silence signalled that she was alone. Padding inside the large, creepy room, she noticed the large square wooden tables with high stools. Many shelves lined the walls, with a multi-coloured abundance of potion-filled glass and crystal bottles. They gleamed almost sinisterly in the light from the candles that were lit on the empty teacher's desk.

The door behind Valkyrie closed with a unexpected wooden thump, making Valkyrie jump and her heart begin to pound so loudly that she could hear the blood beating out the heart's rhythm in her ears.

As she jumped, her elbow connected with one of the shelves she had been curiously examining. A light crystal bottle tottered forwards at the impact and teetered dangerously on the edge of the shelf, the light baby blue liquid sloshing around inside. Gravity finally won out. Valkyrie was too shocked to even move, and the only thing she could do was wince as the bottled potion tumbled through the air and smashed upon the stone floor, the ring of the crystal lasting for a moment before returning to a deadly, foreboding silence.

"Crap." Valkyrie whispered venomously, watching as the potion bubbled and discoloured into a black so dark that it looked as though it could have been a portal into a void.

"_What do you think you're doing_?" A silky voice hissed vehemently.

Valkyrie looked up to see a black-caped figure standing over her, his pointed face full of fury as he flicked his wand at the potions remains, dissolving the potion into nothingness as the crystal reformed into a new, clean and empty potion bottle. Just by looking at him, Valkyrie knew that Snape was clearly not a professor to be messed with, and something about him instilled seeds of fear inside her stomach.

Humbled slightly with shock at the potions master's appearance, she gestured to the shelf and the floor rapidly as she spoke. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm just lost...I couldn't sleep so I left the Slytherin dorms and went for a walk to clear my head an-"

"Don't you know that there's a curfew?" Snape snapped icily, "No students are allowed out of their dormitories after ten o'clock. Or do you think that just because your father is a professor, you are exempt from this rule?"

Valkyrie blinked a few times before remembering that Skulduggery was her 'father' in this universe. Her anger inwardly boiled and she felt her hand curl into a fist, her necromancer ring digging into her flesh a little. _What right do you have to criticise Skulduggery?_ She fumed.

"I forgot, I'm sorry," Valkyrie answered, trying to let her outward appearance remain deceptively frightened, "I know I'm not special or anything because of Skul-Professor Pleasant, but I just needed to clear my head because I couldn't sleep. I'm just scared, Professor. So, so scared. My magic is a little different to the others, and I'm worried that people are going to discriminate me because of it, or that they'll call me a freak. I'm not a freak...am I?"

Snape stilled until he resembled a statue, and for a moment Valkyrie wondered if she'd said the wrong thing. "I will not pity you just because you are in the house of Slytherin." Snape stated, holding up a hand to silence her as she took a breath to presumably begin arguing, "Yet neither am I going to ignore this. You're not the only who has worries and fears in this world, Pleasant."

"Then surely, you can understand where I'm coming from?" Valkyrie pleaded.

"I didn't say I was referring to myself." Snape barked sharply. His facial features seemed to soften slightly, and his eyes glazed over as if he was being pulled back in time by a memory. Refocusing on Valkyrie moments later as he resurfaced from the memory, his words came out as short grumbles. "However...I do understand."

Valkyrie resisted the urge to let her mouth drop open a little in slight surprise.

"I will see you back to your dormitory, and you will stay there. Are we clear?" Snape asked, his voice firm in a tone that should have brooked no argument.

"How do you know I can't find my own way back to the Slytherin dormitory?" Valkyrie retorted, folding her arms over her chest.

At first, Snape's only response was to mockingly raise an eyebrow at her. But when he spoke, his voice was dry and derisive. "Because had you known, you would not have been lost in the first place...obviously."

A bright red blush spread along her cheekbones, and she was taken by surprise as she found herself suppressing a yawn, showing how sleepy she had become. She muttered something unintelligible and huffed, glaring at the floor and missing the tiny smirk that played about Snape's lips. Ignoring her mutterings, he took her by the scruff of the pyjama neckline and swept out of the potions rooms, all but dragging her back up the stairs in the darkness.

Lighting the tip of his wand with a hushed 'lumos', Snape snuck a glance down at his charge. His eyes widened as he saw the shadowy black tendrils that had escaped from the necromancer ring that adorned Valkyrie's finger. But he said nothing, noticing how tired she was.

He couldn't help wondering what other kinds of magic were out there, or if it was just that these 'odd people' were simply stronger wizards, who were known worldwide for their abilities in wandless magic. But even that didn't fit, as even without the wand, they still used the same spells. As he gazed down at the shadows, he observed them as they slowly receded back into Valkyrie's ring.

Arriving back at the Slytherin common room, Snape half-heartedly cuffed the teenager around the ear. "Back to your bed, and don't come down until breakfast. I believe you have potion with me first period. Don't be late." Snape commanded, forcing a smile satisfaction off his face as Valkyrie complained tiredly, barely able to make a comprehensible sentence in her tired state.

"_You_ don't be late…" Valkyrie yawned cheekily, prodding a finger into his chest defiantly.

Unamused, Snape coughed pointedly. "I said go to bed, Pleasant." He snapped coldly.

"My name's Valkyrie." She reminded him, her voice a little forceful as she turned away and headed further into the common room.

Snape watched until she had faded from view into the girls' dormitory before turning on his heel and striding out of the Slytherin common room, his coal-black cape sweeping out behind him.

As he strode out of the common room, he noticed a silhouette up ahead that disappeared around the corner. Narrowing his eyes, he silently followed.  
>Rounding the corner, he came face-to-face with a furious Draco Malfoy, whose face was pinched taught in a mixture of anger and worry. "Are you <em>still<em> following me?" He hissed angrily, "I've said it before, I don't need your help! This is my task, and I won't have you trying to take over!"

Before Snape could say another word, Draco had sprinted off down the corridor to be swallowed by the darkness. Snape was left alone in the corridor, the fire from the nearby stone podium which shed a warm glow that flickered over his face.

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><p>Tanith woke the next morning in her pyjamas and whooped with excitement as she ran down the stairs, into the common room and out to the corridor. Reaching the corridor, she stretched and yawned, her blonde hair sticking up everywhere like a mane. "Good morning world!" She laughed, the taste of adventure on the tip of her tongue, making her nearly beg to see what else lay beyond in this strange universe.<p>

Laughing as a chorus of surprised yells sounded out, she leaped onto the stone banister of the moving staircase, her fluffy bed socks seeming to offend everyone around her. Turning to face her shocked onlookers, she winked.

"Get off the bannister this instant!" A Gryffindor prefect shouted, his face almost purple with rage. "I mean it! Do as I say or I'll come and get you down from there myself!"

"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough." Tanith laughed cheekily, calmly falling backwards off of the bannister.

The rest of the Gryffindor house had run out to see the commotion, and as she spoke, Fred and George shook their heads in awe. "We've got competition Freddie." George remarked.

As Tanith fell, screams of horror sounded out, drawing people from other houses to look. "She's committed suicide!" Someone shouted.

A peal of hysterical laughter echoed from below, and everyone craned their necks to see who it was. Their mouths dropped in disbelief as they saw Tanith sitting crosslegged on the underside of the moving staircase. "You guys are all so cute!" Tanith sniggered. Waving to them, she jumped once more until she had reached the ground floor. "Now then, I'm up for one hell of a breakfast, so if you guys want any, then you better hurry up because at this rate it looks like I'm gonna eat the lot. From every table."

At that, people yelled out angrily. But no-one moved as quickly as Ron Weasley, who shot past all of them at rocket speed with an infuriated yell.

"NO ONE TAKES MY BREAKFAST."

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><p>Fletcher was already dressed in his new robes, sat to the Hufflepuff table with Andy beside him, the both of them eating and discussing the classes they had with each other a bit later. He liked Andy, he was nice, funny and a little shy, which was totally different from what Fletcher was used to.<p>

Thinking of this, Fletcher sneaked a glance at Valkyrie who was sat next to a tired-looking Draco on the other side of the hall. He watched every detail of Valkyrie's face, the way she frowned when trying to explain something, and the way her face lit up with a smile when she learnt something new from the Slytherins around her. He was glad of that, at least. He'd noticed that the Slytherin house looked out for their own, but it didn't help fill the empty space he felt when he saw Val talking to that Draco kid.

Fletcher realised with a jolt that as he'd been thinking, Andy had asked him a question. "Huh?" He asked dumbly, mentally shaking himself awake.

Andy rolled his eyes from behind his glasses. "I asked what you're gonna do this afternoon? We haven't any lessons then."

"Well...I heard that Professor Pleasant is going to take Tanitch, Val and I to get our new wands." He told his friend, helping himself to more scrambled egg.

"Oh." Andy replied, looking a little deflated.

"You can come with us if you want?" Fletcher offered, suddenly realising that Andy had wanted to spend a little time with him.

"You sure?" Andy questioned, grinning.

"Yeah, 'course! They won't mind. Besides, you probably know the best places to go around here." Fletcher replied with a shrug, his mouth half-filled with food.

Fletcher had barely finished his sentence when Tanith barrelled into the Great Hall, clad in her pyjamas and fluffy socks. Everyone's jaw dropped, and Valkyrie face-palmed from across the hall with a quiet mutter.

"Is she normally like that?" Andy questioned, pointing to Tanith, who had seated herself in between the two adoring Weasley twins, stuffing her face with food whilst maintaining an air of good grace.

Fletcher nodded helplessly. "Yeah…" He admitted.

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><p>After a morning of double potions with Professor Snape, Valkyrie had been more than happy to escape from the dungeons with a hysterical Tanith in tow.<p>

"Val, you should have seen your face!" Tanith cried, laughing loudly.

"What?" Valkyrie snapped, grinding her teeth.

"Your face!"

"What about it?"

"It was so angry!"

"I know! _I_ was angry, Tanith! Snape criticised me for everything I did! Ok, so I don't know the difference between wormroot and...and...whatever it was! And I don't care! Snape was an absolute bloody son of a b-"

"Valkyrie! Tanith! There you are!" Skulduggery's voice rang out across the courtyard, drawing their attention to where he was stood with Fletcher and Andy. "We were beginning to think that you'd lost your way."

"I _don't_ lose my way, Skulduggery. Stop insulting my sense of direction." Valkyrie muttered, pushing her way past them so that they could start their journey to Diagon Alley.

"Well, was your sense of direction insulted?" Skulduggery questioned.

"Yes." Valkyrie sulked.

"Good. Maybe that way it'll learn not to lose its way in the future." Skulduggery nodded, pulling his disguise up around his skeletal face.

Valkyrie exhaled loudly in exasperation. "You're unbearable sometimes."

"I know."

"And I hate you for it."

"I know this too."

"Do you know everything?" Valkyrie snapped sarcastically.

"Well no. Really now Valkyrie, that's just silly. Nobody could know everything. I just know nearly everything." Skulduggery responded, drawing up alongside the others and taking Valkyrie with him.

Valkyrie sighed at the obvious battle loss, but followed them into the town.

Andy grinned around at them as they came onto the main high street. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, guys." He announced. Along the way, he excitedly pointed out lots of other shops and bits and pieces for them.

Finally, they approached a large shop with two protruding circular glass windows either side of the door. The words 'Ollivander's. Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C.' were painted on the wood above the door in gold. Valkyrie, full of curiosity, filed in behind the others and closed the door behind her.

"Mr. Ollivander?" Skulduggery called, "I've brought you some new customers."

"Hello, hello!" Mr. Ollivander shouted down to them from where he was stood atop the ladder, "You did indeed! Here let me look at you all." Scrambling carefully down the ladder, he approached them all individually, except for Andy and Skulduggery.

Humming to himself, he nodded and headed into the back of the shop before coming back with four boxes. He regarded one of the boxes and shook his head with a mutter, pocketing the box and mumbling that the wand wasn't ready for an owner yet. Clearing his throat, Mr Ollivander beckoned Tanith, Fletcher and Valkyrie forwards, placing a box in front of each of them. "These are the wands who seem to cry out for you." He told them, motioning for them to open the boxes. "Please, try them."

Doing as bidden, they opened the boxes and withdrew the wands. Feeling slightly silly, Valkyrie just stood there. "Uhm...should I do anything with it?" She asked, "I mean, do I wave it or something, or...?"

"Yes, yes, my girl!" Ollivander encouraged, gesturing for her to do so and standing back.

Valkyrie screamed as a jet of magic shot across the room in Ollivander's wand shop and burst into little green sprinkles in the middle of the room, like a firework. Her eyes wide with wonder, she stared at the wand in her hands. "Woah…What were the specs on this thing again?" She asked Ollivander, ignoring Skulduggery who was stood a little way behind her with his disguise on and his arms folded.

"That wand there is made of rosewood. It's eleven inches exactly, and the core, I believe, is dragon heartstring." Ollivander told her proudly.

"I think this one speaks to me on a spiritual level." Tanith remarked jokingly from the other side of the room as the wand she held in her hand sent an electric shock through her hair, making it fluff up until it was twice its normal volume.

"Ah yes," Ollivander nodded, "ten inches, hawthorne wood, with the dragon heartstring at its core." The wandmaker turned to Fletcher just as the hair-obsessed teen picked up the white-coloured wooden wand that had been laying in a box beside him. "And that one…"

Fletcher's eyes widened as a cone of silver enveloped him, making him feel warm and protected as whisperings rushed past him so fast and so quietly, that he could barely hear them. As the magical cone of protection diminished into nothingness once more, he spoke before Ollivander could, his voice calm and unusually serious. "Birch wood, eleven and a half inches. Unicorn hair core."

If Skulduggery had had eyebrows, he would have raised them in surprise.

"Indeed it is." Ollivander agreed, the flame of curiosity alight in his eyes. "And once again, the wand...chooses the wizard." He murmured, half in a dream-like state. He barely managed to pull himself together to accept the galleons that were handed to him in payment.

Skulduggery didn't miss the shocked yet curious look in the older man's eyes, but he kept his observations to himself. It was obvious, to him at least, that Ollivander had just passed on a wand of formidable, and possible with a hidden, power. Whether this power would be used for the right or wrong reasons, however, was indeterminable.

As they walked back to the castle together, Tanith and Valkyrie discussed and compared their new wands at length. Fletcher seemed more content to examine his wand, lost deep in thought and not paying any attention to the females on his side.

Privately, Skulduggery thought that Fletcher knew of the wand's secret, and he wondered how much the boy knew.


End file.
